Ex-Ghana midfielder and an uncle to Black Stars duo, Andre and Jordan Ayew, Sola Ayew has called for the withdrawal of the captain and his younger brother if they are deemed unfit for the senior national team.
Andre and Jordan Ayew have come under the sharp knife and the jackboots of journalists, connoisseurs and the Ghanaian citizens in the past few years. The two brothers, who have enjoyed minutes with the Black Stars have been accused of hijacking the national team due to the influence of their father, ex-Ghana captain and three time African Footballer of the Year, Abedi Pele. What broke the camel’s back leading calls for their exclusion from future Black Stars assignments was the nation’s poor show at the 2021 Africa Cup of National in Cameroon. The Black Stars exited the tournament with just a point from three Group C games. A 1-0 opening defeat to North African giants, Morocco and a subsequent 1-1 draw and a 3-2 loss to Gabon and debutants, Comoros respectively led to a groundswell of media agitation. Sola Ayew has said that, the duo should not be invited for future assignments if their services are not needed.
“If you ask me whether the national team is not a preserve of the Ayews, then drop them [from the national team]. “It’s not me[Sola Ayew] or Abedi Pele who pushed for their invitation or the boys [Andre and Jordan Ayew] themselves. “If you ask me that is what I’m telling you [journalist]. “If you say they are not the people to play drop them. “You can’t say the Ayews are like this, the Ayews are like that. “The Ayews we know we eat football, we drink football, we sleep football and we want to be there. “So if we cannot do it then you drop us, period,” Sola Ayew told Adikanfo fm. “If we hear those rumours, it does not disturb us because it’s part of football. If those who criticize the Ayews do not exist, football will not be complete. “When we are not doing and there are players who are better, drop them.” Sola Ayew added.
Andre Ayew who currently plays for Qatari club Al Sadd, has a rich curriculum vitae having skippered Ghana’s CAF and first FIFA U-20 World Cup triumph in Rwanda and Egypt in 2009 respectively. He was a member of the Black Stars squad which came close to two AFCON titles in Angola 2010 and Equatorial Guinea 2015 where Ghana lost 1-0 in the finals to Egypt and 8-7 on penalty shootouts to West African neighbors, Ivory Coast. Prior to the above feat, the former Olympique Marseille, West Ham and Swansea City forward had earned a bronze medal with Ghana at the 2008 AFCON hosted on home soil culminating in a BBC African Footballer of the Year In 2011.
The 32-year-old has over 100 caps for Ghana from two FIFA World Cup and seven AFCON appearances and winning the top scorer award at the 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea. Younger brother, Jordan Ayew who plies his trade with English club Crystal Palace, equally has an invaluable record for the four time African champions with five AFCON and a FIFA World Cup appearance in 2014. He has a silver AFCON medal from Ghana’s 2015 penalty shootouts loss to Ivory Coast.
